Wall panel



Aug. 22, 1961 R. A. ENGHOLM WALL PANEL Filed Aug. 20. 1958 FIG.2

INVENTOR RAYMOND A. ENGHOLM ay.-/ l fl/ ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 22, 19612,997,142 WALL PANEL Raymond A. Engholm, Weston, Ontario, Canada,assignor to Macotta Company of Canada Limited, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaFiled Aug. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 756,178

Claims. (Cl. 189-34) This invention relates to a reinforced wall panelortile of the type commonly used on outer wall surfaces of buildings.Panels or tiles of this type are-made from a variety of weatherproof anddurable materials such as enameled steel, stainless steel and aluminum.

Such panels or tiles are often in the course of their production, warpedor bent, and as they are used in planar form they must be forciblystraightened prior to use and must be provided with means for preventingany re-assumption of their warped shape under cold bend ing stressesexisting in the straightened tile. In addition to this it is advisablethat the tiles be structurally reinforced so that they will not bendunder structural stresses during application to a building or while inposition on the building.

These panels or tiles have, in the past, been reinforced in the spacebetween the face panel and the reinforcing backing member by solidmaterials such as plywood or a cellular glass composition and bycellular materials-such as honeycombing.

A great source of difliculty with the panels of the prior art in use hasbeen experienced because of the difference in co-eificient' of expansionbetween the panel facing material and the reinforcing material. As theresult of different expansions or contractions between these two theadhesive securement between them is broken. Further in the case ofhoneycombing, water absorption between the panels causes difficulty. Inthe case of woods, fungus growths often set in. Fire is particularlydamaging in the case of honeycombing in the event that air should getbetween the face panel and the back panel so that combustion takesplace.

Applicant has provided a combination of corrugated and flanged sheetmetal members which are adhesively attached to each other and/or to thetile backing while his forcibly straightened, thecorrugation and'iflanges being arranged in such a manner as to oppose the tendency ofthe tile to reassume a warped and bent shape. there is provided acorrugated member formed of sheet metal, the corrugations defining crestsurfaces which are co-planar with each other and trough surfaces whichare co-planar with each other, the plane of the trough surfaces beingparallel to the plane of the crest surfaces and the trough surfacesbeing adhesively attached to the back face of the tile face panel whileit is forcibly held in a straightened position. The corrugated memberthus opposes the normal bending tendencies of the tile. There is alsoprovided a backing member of sheet metal including a surface which isadhesively secured to such crest surfaces while the tile and thecorrugated member are forcibly straightened against normal bendingparallel to the corrugations in the corrugation members.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tile and asheet metal reinforcing therefore wherein the metal opposes the normalbending and warping of the tile and also reinforces the tilestructurally during application and use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tile wherein afirst corrugated member is adhesively attached to a cold stressed tileto oppose its normal bending tendency and wherein a backing member isadhesively attached to the corrugated member to oppose the normalbending tendencies of the corrugated member and the tile.

It is a further object to provide a tile in which the adhesively securedsurfaces have similar coefficients of expansion.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the attacheddrawings wherein: a.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reinforced tile which can have astainless steel or enamel on steel front face or an aluminum front face.The view is taken looking from the rear of said tile.

FIG. 2 is a longtudinal cross-section of the tile shown in FIG. 1,showing the decorative coating on its face.

The tile has a face panel 12 the back of which only is shown in thedrawings.

In many methodsof forming this face panel there is a tendency for it tobe warped or bent. In particular in the production of steel tiles withan enamel face it is necessary that the enamel be backed or fused on thesteel at a very high temperature. Such temperatures result in warping orbending of the steel which must be returned to planar form before it isof commercial, structural or ornamental value.

Such a face panel is forcibly returned to planar form by one of a numberof known methods, such as by the use of plywood presses and whileforcibly held against its normal tendency to warp or bend, thereinforcing member is adhesively secured by a suitable adhesive, such asone of the contact resin type to the back thereof to maintain the planartile shape.

In accordance with the invention one of the members forming thereinforcement comprises a corrugated member 14 formed of sheet metal,the corrugations defining crest surfaces 16 which in the embodimentshown are co-p1anar with one another, and trough surfaces 18 which arealso co-planar with one another and where in the trough surfaces 18 areparallel to the crest surfaces 16.

The dimensions of the corrugated member 14 are pref erably slightlysmaller than the outer dimensions of the tile and the corrugated memberis preferably provided with edges 20 perpendicular to the direction ofthe crest and troughs.

The surfaces of troughs 18 are, as already stated,adhesively attached tothe tile back 12 while it is forcibly held in planar form and after theadhesive is Set, the corrugated member 14 prevents warping or bending ofthe tile in any direction other than a direction parallel to thecorrugation direction. It will also be noted that bending or warping issubstantially reduced in this direction also. The ribs 2120f member 14in addition to opposing the normal bending stresses, supply structuralstrength to the tile against structural bending loads encountered duringapplication of the tile to a wall or while the tile is in use on suchwell.

To strengthen the tile and the corrugated member 14 against bendingparallel to the ribs 22 a backing member 24 is provided and adhesivelysecured to the crest surfaces 16 of the corrugated member. The backingmember 24 has flanges 26 which have a toe flange th at overlays the backface of the tile for the purpose of attaching an edge securing means.The flange also stiflens the back against bending.

The backing member has a surface 28 for adhesive attachment to the crestsurfaces 16.

The flanges 26 of backing member 24 extending from opposite sides of thesurfaces 28 and spaced and oriented so that when surface 28 isadhesively attached to crest surfaces 16 the flanges 26 extend over theedges 20 of the corrugated member toward the back of face panel 12.

In the construction of the reinforced tile, the tile with the corrugatedmember 14 adhesively attached thereto is again straightened by one of anumber of known methods, such as by presses or rolls, and the backingmember 24 is adhesively applied to the crest surfaces 16. When 3 theadhesive is set, the structural panel or tile is ready for use, thebacking member 24 when so adhesively secured opposing any tendency ofthe tile and the corrugated member to bend under cold stresses parallelto the corrugations.

The tile may be supported in position or attached to adjacent tiles byany of a number of well known means. In the drawings it will be seenthat the corrugated member 14 is provided with contiguously extendingsurfaces 3'2 located just outside each of the outer trough surfaces 18vwhich are spaced from the back of face panel =12 for purposes ofmounting an attachment means. Along the other edges flanges overlyingthe back of the face panel are provided on the end of flanges 26. Theseflanges 26 are also in spaced parallel relation to the back of facepanel 12 and are for the purpose of securing adjacent panels together.

I claim:

1. A reinforced wall tile comprising a rigid, metal face panel having adecorative front face, a back face; a metal reinforcing member havingcorrugations, said corrugations defining planar crest surfaces, saidcorrugations also defining planar trough surfaces; an adhesive betweensaid trough surfaces and the back face of said face panel securing saidtrough surfaces to the back face of said face panel; a metal reinforcingbacking member overlying said crest surfaces; and an adhesive securingsaid backing member to said crest surfaces, the metals of said facepanel, said reinforcing member and said backing member all havingsubstantially the same coefiicient of expansion.

2. A wall tile as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reinforcing membercomprises three planar trough surfaces adhesively secured to said backface, said trough surfaces alternating with two planar crest surfacesadhesive- 1y secured to said backing member.

3. A wall tile as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reinforcing member hasa pair of boundary edges abutting the back face of said panel andwherein said backing member comprises a central panel adhesively securedto said crest surfaces, said backing member being of a dimension toextend beyond the ends of said boundary edges and said reinforcingmember and extend therefrom towards said back face.

4. A structural panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the metal of saidface panel, said reinforcing member and said backing member is steel.

5. A reinforced wall tile as claimed in claim 1 wherein said crestsurfaces are co-planar and said trough surfaces are coplanar.

6. In a wall comprising a plurality of metal tiles having an enameledcoating on their front faces arranged in edge abutment, the front facesof said tiles being substantially co-planar to define a substantiallyplanar wall surface, that improvement in reinforcing each tilecomprising a metal reinforcing member having corrugations definingplanar crest surfaces and planar trough surfaces, an adhesive betweensaid trough surfaces and the back face of said tile to secure saidreinforcing member to the back face of said tile, a metal reinforcingbacking member overlying said crest surfaces, and an adhesive securingsaid backing member to said crest surfaces, the metals of said facepanel, said reinforcing member and said backing member all havingsubstantially the same coefficient of expansion, whereby said tilespresent, and retain an unwarped planar front face.

7. A wall as claimed in claim 6 wherein said reinforcing membercomprises three trough surfaces adhesively secured to the back face ofsaid tile, said trough surfaces alternating with two planar crestsurfaces adhesively secured to said backing member.

8. A wall as claimed in claim 6 wherein said reinforcing member has apair of boundary edges abutting the back faceof said tile and whereinsaid backing member comprises a central panel adhesively secured to saidcrest surfaces, said backing member being of a dimension to extendbeyond the ends of said boundary edger and said reinforcing member andextend therefrom towards the back face of said tile.

9. A wall as claimed in claim 6 wherein the metal of the tile, thebacking member and the reinforcing member is steel.

L0. A reinforced wall tile comprising a rigid, metal face panel having adecorative front face, a back face; a metal reinforcing member havingcorrugations, said corrugations defining planar crest surfaces, saidcorrugations also defining planar trough surfaces; an adhesive betweensaid trough surfaces and the back face of said face panel securing saidtrough surfaces to the back face of said face panel; a metal reinforcingbacking member overlying and secured to said crest surfaces; the metalsof said face panel, said reinforcing member and said backing member allhaving substantially the same coeflicient of expansion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS793,702 Wilcox July 4, 1905 1,610,380 Hutton Dec. 14, 1926 2,616,283Branstrator et a1. Nov. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 664,562 Great BritainJan. 9, 1952

